Afrika Korpse

[Messageboard Golem]

Rommel’s Desert Rats lurk somewhere out there. Somewhere in the dunes. Rumor is he has the new tank—the dreaded Tiger. Patrols are out, but have not yet returned. They are long overdue. Have they been captured by the Germans? Or have they fallen prey to something…else.

There’s blood in the sand and death in the dunes, and those shapes you see shambling toward you might not be a mirage… Written by former West End Games Star Wars® Line Editor Peter Schweighofer, Afrika Korpse includes a complete description of the Weird War in Africa, including British and Italian forces and equipment, new weapons, prestige classes, skills, feats, horrors, twisted plots, and a whole tank-load of creepy adventure ideas for the war in the desert!

This awesome 144-page book also adds a whole new type of ability—Weird Feats—that just might give your trooper an edge in the savage battles of Weird War Two. Find out just what Trembling Hands really means, or why some soldiers seem to heal faster beneath the blazing sun. Afrika Korpse is a setting for Pinnacle Entertainment Groups Weird Wars: Weird War Two™ roleplaying game, and requires the first book in the series, Blood on the Rhine™.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

This review is for Afrika Korpse by Peter Schweighofer. This 144-page supplement to the Weird War II campaign setting is published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group and retails for $25.00. This book gives players and GMs the material they need to take their Weird Wars campaign to the sands of Africa with Montgomery, Patton and Rommel.

The first chapter presents the information to generate desert NPCs, new skills and feats (such as Desert Fox), and supernatural feats known as Weird feats. Weird feats grant unnatural benefits but at a price. Five new prestige classes are detailed: Fitter, LRDG Officer, Minefield Engineer, Native Guide, and Signaler. I like the Fitter. He’s the master mechanic who can fix anything, even if it’s on its last legs.

Desert equipment and armament are highly detailed in chapter two. Chapter three gives us a history lesson regarding the operational theater in Northern Africa. Adventure seed sidebars are scattered throughout this chapter as major offensives are detailed.

The final chapter is a bestiary of desert monsters and opponents. Some are elementals, outsiders or constructs. Each monster entry comes with an adventure hook on how best to use them. Flugzeuggeist, Judgment Beast and Twisted Hulk are my preferred favorites.

In conclusion, Afrika Korpse is an excellent companion to the Weird War II setting. However, the same limitations that applied to Blood on the Rhine also apply here. You need to have an appreciation of World War II history to enjoy this setting. For those who enjoyed Blood on the Rhine, Afrika Korpse is a good buy for the money.

To see the graded evaluation of this product, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.